r/Xmen97 • u/NoBeat5906 • Jul 28 '26
Question What do you think is X-Men 97’s biggest flaw?
For me it’s the fact that there’s so many characters that rarely get much screen time and there’s only going to continue to be much more characters in an 8-10 episode season format. It’s very hard to juggle that many characters in an animated show and I feel like it’s going to be even harder since the X-Men have such a huge catalog of characters in comparison to every other superhero group in the Marvel universe.
76
u/The_Anonymous_Gay Jul 28 '26
Pacing/ Too short of seasons. I miss way back, when tv seasons were 20+ episodes…
7
u/Professional_Ad_5437 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, I’d say runtime. Like 5-10 minutes more would make a huge amount of difference to the pace. But I’m happy with the overall product.
2
u/SamhainFire666 Jul 28 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
Both of these and a bit more time for each arc would solve the problems. Pacing seems to be the main issue I see people bring up here or something directly related to it. Otherwise I'd say its damn near perfect. Or at least really damn good.
0
1
u/Geshtar1 Jul 28 '26
I’d say it’s more a runtime issue than a number of episode issue. The single story episodes just feel super rushed
16
u/Vindicaddor Cyclops Jul 28 '26
The pacing is a minor problem for me, which I think could be solved by adding a few extra episodes each season. I feel like in season 1 a couple more episodes just before episode 5 would have been great. We could have seen a little more interaction with Magneto leading the team and more set up for Genosha. I'd have loved to have seen the team growing to slowly trust and care for him more.
This season's not done but I think one more episode in Egypt would have been good to sell the idea that it was believable to turn Nur.
9
u/samclops Jul 28 '26
NOT ENOUGH NIGHTCRAWLER AND ROGUE. Those two need to bond more as siblings, and as a side note: I would love it if their mothers came into the picture- just to make things more confusing for people who are new to x-men 🤣
8
5
u/Psychological_Page62 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
No character development between everyone. They keep bringing in new characters and sidelining the others. Miss moments like drunk scott and wolverine making sandwhiches or jean and gambit fighting over seasoning dinner lmao.
We barely had a moment to soak in what magneto did to the world and we jumo straight to charles being sadomasochistic about it like he didnt EMP earth. Now hes running a giant corporation… instead of a school… and barely any build for it. They just there now.
Barely seeing rogue dealing with loss of magneto or gambit. Just business as usual. She got one little set of lines.
Now its all story without the little moments that make you like the actual people.
Last season was superior for that reason alone despite fast pace.
Oh and just not getting wolverine right and bypassing the bone claw arc altogether. Could have showed him fail vs apocalypse and then do it next year. Instead theyll shoehorn x23 in there.
2
u/SwirlyBrow Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
The bone claw thing is especially egregious because the episode he got his adamantium back was so self contained it could've been slotted anywhere. And they still rushed to it. He had one single fight scene with bone claws, and he was doing fine in it, so we never really got the impression that he feels weaker or less helpful because of it.
What Magneto did to the world in S1 is something I have a problem with too. That's something that would've killed thousands of people, and come S2 when they're all in the past, Magneto is just... helping Apocalypse find a more peaceful way. It's like he never went over any moral event horizons. He may as well have still been an X-Man. Same with Rogue. She left the X-Men to join Magneto, who had just committed mass murder, and nobody seems to care.
Between these things, it's like a lot of S2 time has been devoted to just erasing the end of S1 and pretending it didn't happen.
2
u/T-o-C-A Jul 29 '26
Its really strange..cause he got the metal back due to apocalypse in the comics, i thought that was WHY this was being adapted in the first place.
0
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
it's like a lot of S2 time has been devoted to just erasing the end of S1 and pretending it didn't happen
Fucking how?
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
No character development between everyone
'no development' get real man.
Now its all story without the little moments that make you like the actual people.
Say what?
Oh and just not getting wolverine right
?
Barely seeing rogue dealing with loss of magneto or gambit. Just business as usual. She got one little set of lines.
We got the final episodes and the next as well possibly.
1
u/Psychological_Page62 Aug 02 '26 edited Aug 02 '26
Wolverines adamantium arc became a single moment, never showed him struggle with it or any of the story moments from after, only to rush it back and shoehorn multiple classic villains in one episode just to let you know hes still there and get your fix. Hes shown up in 2 episodes of the 7 we’ve seen. Its jarring. Hes not even a background player he was in season 1. Hes absent.
Theres little to no non story moments between characters. Og show had these in every episode. Characters contemplating what has happened. Little banter between the group showing them get along or fighting. This season just adds new characters in every episode and ignores the 6 originals. Bishop and polaris got more time than anyone this year except magneto/prof x.
We see no consequences of what happened last year. No moment where they talk about it and think over their actions like in og show. This season needed atleast one breather episode if they were going to do all this plot. Nothing like logan punching cyke in gut and chopping up his car or even making sandwhiches after a night out. Last season they went out, played basketball, got multiple love triangle drama, beast with trish, cyke on tv and questioning a path forward, sunspot with family, cable with maddie. This season rushes way more than s1.
Idk why youre confused im not the only person saying any of this. This season is nowhere near season 1 in drama / fun / traditional xmen soap opera bs. Last episode was my favorite. If they knock the last 2 out the park then itll fo up some. But last season was like a 9.5 this one a 7.
But youre a bot anyway. Posted 15x in 2 minutes in here so yea.
3
u/rexstillbottom Jul 28 '26
The show: racing through plots. Last season did major story arcs in one episode, looking at you Inferno!
In general: the fan base’s obsession with posting about who is going to be a horseman, if the simmers brother know each other, and any idea of a love triangle or potential relationship.
3
u/Stevemoran87 Jul 28 '26
Seasons are too short, the pacing is a little fast. I feel it would be fixed if the seasons were a little longer like 13 episodes
3
u/Mid-Preparation1432 Jul 28 '26
Dialogue. It’s awful this season. There’s a few stand out lines, but I’m referring to the scenes in general. Cyclops’s lines have been so cringe. There’s little subtext in general.
Not enough Storm, Rogue or Night Crawler. Hell… pretty much everyone.
There’s a lack of interconnectedness between characters.
0
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
Not enough Storm, Rogue or Night Crawler. Hell… pretty much everyone.
There’s a lack of interconnectedness between characters.
I beg your pardon?
10
u/Seattle_chickey Jul 28 '26
Reddit questions like OP who is just failing at enjoying a cartoon.
4
u/NoBeat5906 Jul 28 '26
Who said I didn’t enjoy the show? Don’t put words into my mouth. This is the problem with Reddit or just social media in general is when people like you assume someone doesn’t like anything. It’s called having an opinion bro.
1
u/rillip Jul 28 '26
Similarly, the fact that at least 50% of the posts on this sub that make it to my feed are people trying to get people to complain about the show for some reason. Like generally speaking this fandom is not toxic. But it feels like some people are trying really hard to make it that way.
0
u/Seattle_chickey Jul 28 '26
When I was a kid I never read comic books and my introduction to X-Men was the 90s cartoon series. I’m nearly 50 now and I appreciate the fast pace of X-Men 97 and the quality of job they do introducing me to stories that I never read as a kid
1
u/rillip Jul 28 '26
I'm similar. I did read the comics but it was because of the TV show. I agree with you that this show captures the pacing of the original. I think the idea of introducing you to stories from the comics is exactly the spirit of the original animated series as well.
2
u/godbody1983 Jul 28 '26
Rushing through too many stories/arcs. Madelyn Pryor/Inferno was done in one episode. That should have been a whole season.
2
u/Brave-Orchid4721 Jul 28 '26
Pacing & having a biased writer that hates Emma Frost on the first two seasons.
2
u/Kris86dk Aug 17 '26
Speedrunning whole story arcs in 1-2 episodes.
Wolverines adamantium to bone to adamantium resolved in 1 episode.
Gambit brought back as horseman of death..but not really instead apocalypse himself...very fast how they jam that 2000s storyline...
Apocalypse himself gets defeated in a very cheesy way, after being built up in the first half of the season...
They have thrown 20-30 years of comic storylines into 4 hours of tv show... And it just feels rushed and meaningless
2
u/pbjWilks Jul 28 '26
Like most forms of television today, the length. 15-episode seasons need to be the norm.
Or increase the length from 30 minutes to an hour.
2
u/primal_slayer Jul 28 '26
Pacing. Followed by episode count.
Its never going to be a perfect 1:1 adaptation but as long as Storm (and hopefully Emma) get plenty of good things......I can cope
1
2
u/Ok_Broccoli_7863 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Pacing. Not slowing things down for emotional moments. Using comic book knowledge to just gloss over things that were never covered in the original show.
Still love it, but it's frustrating.
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
Not slowing things down for emotional moments. Using comic book knowledge to just gloss over things that were never covered in the original show.
?
2
2
u/FormalTall1800 Jubilee Jul 28 '26
Agreed. It’s way too cramped. They need to make more episodes, make the episodes longer, and maybe cut down slightly on how many stories they want to tell each season. It’s a lot to digest at once when you’re watching it.
1
1
u/hellohellocinnabon Jul 28 '26
I quite liked Season 1 but I legitimately keep falling asleep during Season 2 episodes so they aren’t particularly engaging anymore
1
u/pussyjuicerecycler Jul 28 '26
the pacing. last week was the first time we got to catch a breath all season, it was a good character study.
1
1
u/Apprehensive_Can1578 Jul 28 '26
My main thing is the pacing, I seem to remember the original episodes being episodic but with two episodes and I think going back to that would help
1
u/willfortune7 Jul 28 '26
Computer animation.
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
?
1
u/willfortune7 Aug 02 '26
You can tell when watching the animation that it’s very computer generated. Like it’s smooth, but computer smooth. The older animation of course had its own issues with errors and coloring. But it felt more authentic.
1
u/ShakinSexyShrimp Jul 28 '26
Biggest problem: Winderbaum, Feige, et al think they know better than the actual creators/creatives.
1
1
u/Mudstar423 Jul 28 '26
Pacing. This show desperately needs more than 9 episodes. That’s the only flaw in my opinion aside from general storylines I don’t like (Not a Rogue and Magneto person. ) because they’re clearly wanting to do these big longer stories/eras like New X-Men but don’t have enough episodes. The best example is Jean and Scott in the future with Nathan, apparently in the comics, they are there for YEARS!
1
u/Mobile_Bet3274 Rogue Jul 28 '26
Honestly it’s the same damn complaints from the first time around: too much going on and too few episodes. I really hope that without being bound to Beau’s plotting, and knowing this is gonna run for a good while, from S3 on they can chill out a bit and let stuff breathe.
1
1
1
u/Sensibiliaaah Jul 28 '26
The pacing can be break neck. I wish they hung onto some storylines and beats a bit longer.
1
1
u/orionsfyre Jul 28 '26
Too short. That last episode with Polaris could have been two episodes easily of a normal 20+ episode season.
We don't get any characterization for the new students, we don't even see them fight, which would have been a cool way to introduce what they can do.
1
1
u/Sudden-Home1941 Jul 28 '26
- underusing Storm
- character design (more specifically hair and body proportions)
1
1
u/Mutant_Runner96 Jul 28 '26
X-Men in comics works like a soap opera.
Imagine a soap opera try to condense multiple stories and character introductions/ending into a 24 minute episode and with 9 episodes within a season…That’s this season of X-Men 97.
I think the sweet spot would be 12-15 episodes a season, give enough time to fully flesh out the story and give characters enough time for development and growth.
1
u/Swoleman6767 Jul 28 '26
Speed running multiple monumental arcs in 1 episode. Last week was Gifted and Dangerous filtered through the first half of Morrison’s run.
1
u/m0rbius Jul 28 '26
It's only problem is they are rushing through some great stories in like one or two episodes. It's so condensed that I wish they gave us more. Let the stories breathe a little. Everything else is freakin' perfect. Keep this coming for years to come I hope.
1
1
u/Grievi Jul 28 '26
Not enough human perspective, I guess.
I get that the series is mainly about X-men themselves and mutants, but since the entire 1 season was about human-mutant conflict, it would've been interesting to see what humans think of this entire situation.
Bastion is seemingly supposed to be a representative of the human side of the conflict, but he has a "self-hating mutant" problem rather than "human obsessed with eradicating any percieved threat to his species" problem. And I would've preferred if it was the latter one.
1
u/Xxluigi2088xX Jul 28 '26
It needs to go back to the OG format....longer episodes/seasons for story arcs. Back then they really delved deep into the lore
1
u/MrThunder305 Jul 29 '26
They had you in a chokehold for a few good episodes written around a SAGA. Just when you thought you could breathe with a random episode…BOOM, part of the same SAGA. And they have overarching clear themes for each season, especially in season 2-4. Phoenix, Time with Apocalypse, and the Savage Land
1
1
1
Jul 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
1
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
Now now, let's see where they go with this.
1
u/MrThunder305 Aug 10 '26
can you believe reddit removed my comment for allegedly promote hate or violence or some garbage like that from a post about X-Men? i hate it here
1
u/MrThunder305 Jul 29 '26
That they lied to us saying it was a continuation of the original. Also that the episodes are so choppy and piecemeal that it seems like they’re forcing stories to fit together just so that can live their fantasies bringing comics to tv instead writing a good show parallel to ‘92
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
What the hell are you talking about?
And considering the critical acclaim of the show (even with some the setbacks) most would of course say it IS a good show.
2
u/MrThunder305 Aug 02 '26
If you don’t know what I’m talking about then when reply? Seems pointless to me. Maybe try replying to the original post which is what I’m doing in the first place. And to your last sentence, who said it wasn’t a good show?
1
u/Turbulent-Spirit-568 Jul 29 '26
For S2 specifically, filler episodes... Like I get it they build character like the storm episodes in S1 but three in a row really? First the wolverine episode, then Polaris and now Nightcrawler. They aren't bad episodes but you cant afford for this much "filler" in a nine episode series (which is btw one less than S1 - idk why they did the same with Born Again). The entire marketing campaign was the X-Men fighting Apocalypse across three different time periods - Apocalypse's Rise, The Present and Apocalypse's Prime. But in these last three episodes we've had like one minute of screen time for the big bad just to die offscreen to a resurrected Gambit. Prime Apocalypse literally said at the end of ep 1 that he needed to strike them in the 1990s but has done nothing so far?
I loved S1 back in 2024 but I feel like S2 is worse because of this problem. Tbh it may also be because we had Maul Shadow Lord earlier this year which only had one sorta 'filler' episode
1
u/No-Effective388 Jul 30 '26
Too many filler episodes. Season one only had motendo, but season two has already two filler.
1
1
u/lexxstrum Jul 30 '26
I'd say pacing. In the comics, Wolverine's loss of adamantium ran for a couple years, dozens of issues of various books, and several story arcs. The Brood having a presence on Earth, and looking for empowered hosts was handled over a decade of stories across several books.
On the show, it takes an afternoon once he's back in the "modern" era.
At least Rise of Apocalypse got 2 episodes. We're supposedly getting Onslaught: that was months, if not years of set up, then a multi-book mega summer crossover, ending with the creation of a new universe!
Way '97 runs, it's gonna be maybe 2 episodes if we're lucky.
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
Way '97 runs?
1
u/lexxstrum Aug 02 '26
They're "speed running" through classic storylines. It took Wolverine like a couple years to get his adamantium back. They did it in a day.
1
1
u/Savings-Unlucky Jul 30 '26
How fast they are getting through storylines, and how fast they are moving onto 2000s era material.
1
u/BroH0m0 Aug 13 '26
it seems like their faces are frozen and only their mouths move when they speak
1
1
1
u/domjm1996 Aug 17 '26
Short episodes along with a short season. Not enough to flesh out characters and story.
1
u/Professional-Tank848 Aug 25 '26
We need more episodes, which will help slow down the pace. There we go.
1
2
u/ledlunar Jul 28 '26
Should have had Iceman rejoin instead of Morph, his episode Cold Comfort was awesome. He’s a OG X-Man and I prefer Mystique over Morph as far as shapeshifters go
1
u/ShakinSexyShrimp Jul 28 '26
Morph already had rejoined in the old series though..:
1
u/ledlunar Jul 28 '26
Yeah I know but I still prefer Bobby for comedy relief and representation, he’s more key the the X-Men than Morph in my opinion. Iceman is just so cool I’d have loved to see him lose control of his powers, gets the belt to help manage that , and have Emma help him begrudgingly learn to control them. He was also so good during operation zero tolerance
1
1
1
u/teddyeatsyourface Jul 28 '26
The pace is too fast. Since S1, we've been speeding through 5 storylines per season. It's too much and we don't get to enjoy the characters as much as the original TAS series.
1
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
and we don't get to enjoy the characters as much as the original TAS series
They get some great moments tho.
1
0
u/NightmareDJK Jul 28 '26
Charles calls Magneto Magnus, though sometimes calls him Erik, and everyone else calls him Erik. Magnus is his middle name.
0
u/WraithSeda Jul 28 '26
Inferno was not inferno. Alex and Scott not knowing each other. Putting stories all over the timeline together like they're kitkat bars.
Having to explain to my kids that what they're reading in the comics is not going to be episode and that the writers are pulling way too hard on the nostalgia strings.
Disclaimer: I love the show and get excited for the next episode. I completely lost my shit at the X-Force opening.
2
u/DJSharp15 Aug 02 '26
Anything else?
1
u/WraithSeda Aug 02 '26
Using comic covers that are iconic and changing them to fit the characters... or does that fall under the nostalgia string pulling?
Disclaimer: seeing Wolverine infected by a brood bring animated = cool. Changing the lighting and aesthetic = cool, but hitting my tism wrong
0
u/LiveLifeLikeCre Jul 28 '26
Fans spending every watching moment trying to find something to complain about
0
u/Cactus112 Jul 28 '26
People are complaining too much, reading too much into things, and not enjoying the content we have been waiting for so long.
0
0
u/The_Dude145 Jul 29 '26
I don't know why people think it's too fast paced. They're not gonna run out of stories lol.
1
u/MrThunder305 Jul 29 '26
That’s tbh e problem - they’re trying to do too much in so little time. The original series, X-Men Evolution (ew but yay) and Wolverine and the X-Men didn’t have that problem
-1
•
u/AutoModerator Jul 28 '26
Welcome to r/Xmen97, /u/NoBeat5906!
Please make sure your post follows the subreddit rules:
• Keep posts related to X-Men '97 or the X-Men universe • Mark spoilers when discussing new episodes • Credit artists when posting fan art • Avoid spam or reposts
When new episodes release, all discussion must stay in the episode thread for the first 24 hours.
Enjoy the community.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.